Gebas, Alhama de Murcia

Pedanías of Alhama de Murcia: Gebas

The village of Gebas is in the north of the municipality of Alhama de Murcia, 10 km from the town itself, and is right on the edge of one of the most spectacular areas of the Region of Murcia, the Sierra Espuña.

The landscape is the most important feature of the village, and the main attraction is the Barranco de Gebas, which features chalk steppes and hardy grass shrubs, surrounded by limestone “badlands” which create a curious desert-like, or lunar landscape.

In the past the inhabitants of Gebas always lived in farmhouses and hamlets scattered throughout the countryside, living off agriculture and crops, including fruit such as pomegranates and peaches. These days the area also benefits from rural tourism due to the spectacular landscape, and this has become an important part of the local economy, although Gebas is the least populated of all the pedanías in Alhama and only has around 20 full-time inhabitants.

The village has it´s own church and social centre which includes a computer room, with free internet access, and a function room where musical and dancing events are held.

The local fiestas are celebrated during August, and are dedicated to the patron saint, the Purísima Concepción. This celebration is a chance for the residents, to join with visitors and tourists and enjoy a few days of relaxation.

As is the case of various other villages in the area, such as El Berro, there is hardly any documented evidence related to the origin and development of such a small village, with such a widespread population. The surrounding countryside is exceptionally beautiful, but also limits population growth in the settlements within it.

History of Gebas.

The history of Gebas is largely defined by the terrain of the Rambla de Algeciras which runs across the area, dictating where houses can be built. In the bottom of this ravine, five small groups of houses have been built, namely La Balsa Nueva, El Mojón, Jalisco, Las Casas de Abajo and Las Casas de Arriba.

It´s difficult to define exactly when the first settlers arrived in the area, there being no clear evidence of any prehistoric habitation. The earliest remains found date from the latest phases of the Bronze age, and date from the 7th to 6th centuries BC. These were discovered on the Cabezo de la Fuente delMurtal, which is to the west of the dam, on the lower slopes of the Rambla, and were discovered during construction works to build the dam and associated buildings. Quite substantial walls were uncovered, together with rough broken shards of ceramics.

No evidence has been uncovered of Roman settlements in the area, but it is clear that various small farms have existed for centuries, using the water from the Rambla de Algeciras, and there is no further documentation relating to the area until 1872.

Prior to this date, external connection had been limited to cattle paths and trade routes, but in that year work began on the road linking Cieza to Mazarrón. This kick-started the development of the area, and two inns were built where travelers could break their journey.

Gebas became an independent rectory on 9th May 1888by order of Bishop Tomás Bryan y Livermore, who at the same time awarded similar status to El Berro. The little churchof La Purísimawas opened in 1893.

In 1891 work began on repopulating the trees of Sierra Espuña, led by the mountain engineer Ricardo Codorniú, and various families settled in Gebas after their land had been taken away from them to create the forests we see today.

Although the land appears lush and verdant today, the forests had been flattened, wood taken down to the cities for construction and industry and the hillsides were bare. The ambitious reforestation plans of Richard Codorniú totally changed this area. ( Read more about Ricardo Codorniú) .

It was around this time that the Saltador reservoir was constructed: the irrigation system initially supplied water to both banks of the Rambla, but a flood destroyed the bridge across it, and after this the irrigated area was mainly on the left bank, almost reaching the lunar landscape of the ravines. One of the most important irrigation projects was the Mina del Barranco Blanco, which supplied water to the Finca de la Zorija. This was built around the year 1900.

Twentieth Century

Since1900 the population of Gebas has fluctuated, and has been influenced by civil engineering projects such as the Taibilla canal in 1950 and the dam on the Rambla de Algeciras in 1959, which included the tunnel between Gebas and Carmona. The dam was never completed, and only parts of it still remain visible today.

During the construction of the tunnel an underground spring was found, and this became the first public drinking fountain in the village, officially inaugurated in 1960 and named Aguas de la Inmaculada. Another of the well-known springs in the area is that of Las Hedientes or La Atalaya, on the right bank of the Rambla Algeciras. The drinking water from this spring was transported by horses to the baths at Alhama.

From the 1960s onwards many of the locals left the village to live in larger towns, and the old farm dwellings were abandoned. However, since the 1990s a lot of these have been restored and are now a part of the rural tourism offer of the area. Although only about 20 people actually live in the centre of the village itself, the population of Gebas is swollen by residential tourism throughout the year.

The church of Gebas

The building dates from 1893, and was restored in 1998. It is a simple construction in the shape of a cross, and is the centre of the fiestas in August.

The church is located on a hillside looking across the Barrancos, and is accessed via the road running alongside the restaurant Mirador de Gebas.

Follow the road past the restaurant, and the church and plaza are about 200 metres further along this road.

Fiestas in Gebas.

Gebas holds its annual summer Fiestas patronales in honour of the Patrona, La Purísima Concepción, between August 11th and 15th.

The fiestas include a mixture of musical and sociable activities, one of the most popular with visiting tourists being the open air foam party, with disco music, a great way to cool down in the summer heat.

Where is Gebas, Alhama de Murcia?

This is a viewing point and offers visitors to the area the chance to look out across the badlands, or lunar landscape which characterises the Barrancos de Gebas.

To access the Mirador, take the road down the side of the Restaurant Mirador de Gebas. After a short distance, there is a lefthand fork which leads down towards the cemetery. There is a signpost from the road, but then the road forks and there are no signposts. The right hand fork leads to the cemetery, which also has good views, but the left hand fork heads to the viewing point, which is a good kilometre further along the road.

There is plenty of parking, and a steepish little path down to the Mirador, so wear flat shoes if you´re intending to visit. It´s really not the best place to take those with limited mobility, although the views from the carpark aren´t bad.

It´s an astonishing view, the sandy grey ravines of the barrancos stretching out towards the reservoir and the startling jade waters of the Embalse de Algeciras in the distance.

For those who enjoy walking and are quite fit, there is a 4km round walk down from the viewing point to the embalse, but be warned, this is a steep route and although is described as being of medium difficulty is really only for those who don´t mind a lot of ups and downs, certainly not for the fainthearted.

It is possible to drive down into the badlands by simply turning off the road leading to the viewing point, but be warned, this is real off-road driving and the road is washed away by heavy rains and can be very un-nerving. It should certainly not be attempted by any car without four wheel drive and drivers with strong nerves.

It´s also easy to get lost.

Landscape

Gebas is ideally placed for those wishing to see and enjoy two of the protected areas of the Region of Murcia, the Sierra Espuña and the karst landscape of the Gebas ravine.

To the west is the Parque Natural de Sierra Espuña, to the south is the Sierra de la Muela, and to the east is the Sierra del Cura. In the area between Gebas and Fuente Librilla is flatter land, where cereal crops are grown, and to the south-east are the “badlands” of the ravine.

The ravine, the “Barranco de Gebas”, was declared a protected natural landscape in 1995. It consists of clay and marl which have been eroded by the action of water over millions of years. There are also halomorphic soils which are the result of the salination of the bottom of the water channels.

The relief of this zone is characterized by gullies, ravines and canyons, which create what is popularly known as a moonscape. Vegetation is limited to grasses and populations of gypsum vegetation, and every year clumps of thero brachypodietea appear. The fauna consists only of a few rodents and other small mammals.

Apart from its unusual geo-morphology, the area also includes the Algecirasreservoir, the embalse de Algeciras, which now supplies the water of Gebas and various other local populations.

It´s a unique and exciting landscape, providing a total contrast to the green of the Sierra Espuña above it, and is well worth visiting.